Chapter 48 What is Lin Baige’s background?
48
Lin Baige and Lord Zhang selected several places to open paper mills and printing factories and recruit workers. Senior Brother Lin was responsible for selecting a site for the school and setting up positions in the government office.
Paper mills were first built in relatively poor areas, and people who could not afford to eat, could not find jobs, and had no land were recruited to work in the factories to earn wages.
At first they thought the imperial court was conscripting people to perform forced labor again, so many people tried to hide, but were eventually caught by officers and soldiers and taken to the factory.
In the past, people who did corvée labor had to be shackled and had no money. They were afraid that they would run away. They also had poor food and sleep.
There were no shackles this time, and someone escaped on the first day, but he didn't run far before being lured back by the smell of food.
"Do we still provide meals? Wasn't some porridge enough before?" Several uncles who had participated in corvee labor several times couldn't help asking.
In fact, the porridge before was almost like water. There were only two or three grains of rice left at the bottom of the bowl. A large number of people starved to death or died of exhaustion.
This time we have porridge in the morning, rice at noon, and steamed buns or rice in the evening.
"Not only are meals provided, but there are also wages of six cents per person per day. You will sleep in a large dormitory and have four days off per month." The manager told them.
They were all shocked: "Corvée labor gets paid? And three meals a day? And rest? Is this still corvée labor?"
"We never told you it was corvée labor. We asked you to come here to work," the steward asked doubtfully. "Who told you it was corvée labor?"
"Weren't we captured by you?" the men kissed in confusion.
"We captured you because we were worried you'd starve to death, so we're looking for jobs that can earn you enough money to eat," the steward explained. "This factory was proposed by Mr. Zhang's student, Lin Baige. He felt sorry for the poor and wanted to give everyone a job."
"So he is Mr. Zhang's student. No wonder he is so kind!" Everyone has heard that Mr. Zhang is lucky. He is a good official who serves the country and the people. His students must be extraordinary.
More people joined the paper mills and printing houses, and before the school was even built, batches of paper were produced.
Lin Baige asked someone to open a shop in the capital city that specialized in selling paper, and the price he sold was half the price of the paper on the market.
Even if it is sold at half the price, there is still some profit.
Paper sold on the market was too expensive. Before Lin Baige opened his paper mill, he went to the street to ask about the price of paper and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this made of gold?"
The paper seller mocked him, saying, "This paper is not easy to make. Don't buy it if you can't afford it."
Then the guy was grabbed and slapped in the face by the eunuch following Lin Baige, and the store was closed for a long time for rectification.
Lin Baige felt that it was quite satisfying to bully others by taking advantage of his power, especially since he was relying on the power of the emperor.
This time, his cheap paper was snapped up as soon as it came out. Firstly, it was cheap, and secondly, the quality of the paper was much better than the paper made by the richest man Qian Wan.
Qian Wan's business covers a wide range, and selling paper is just one of them. However, he was still very concerned when his business was taken away by someone else: "Who dares to steal my business? Is Zhang Enxiao's student so great? He is not an official."
Qian Wan tried to inquire about Lin Baige's background, but couldn't find out. If he couldn't find out, wouldn't that prove that he had no background?
To be on the safe side, he also went to Nan'an Hou to ask about Lin Baige's situation. Nan'an Hou said very subtly: "You'd better not mess with him, or you may lose your life."
Marquis Nan'an naturally knew who Lin Baige was. He was the apple of the emperor's eye. No one dared to touch him, not even him. If anyone did, the entire family would be executed. Yet he still dared to inquire about it.
"What is his background?" Qian Wan asked Nan'an Hou curiously.
"Don't ask, don't ask anything. He doesn't have any background. His parents died because they protected the late emperor." Marquis Nan'an reminded him secretly that if his parents died to protect the late emperor and the child still hasn't been given an official position, then he would just be an imperial concubine.
But Qian Wan has been a bit arrogant recently. If he were him a few years ago, he would have definitely heard it carefully, but now he is arrogant: "His parents died protecting the late emperor, and his child has no official title. It seems that he is not an important person. Did Master Zhang take pity on him and accept him as his apprentice? Is that all? He is even competing with me for business?"
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